In an interview with VICE News, former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said he thinks Medicare for All and decriminalizing border crossings are the wrong issues to focus on for Democrats to win the White House in 2020.
Why it matters: Both topics have been dividers in the crowded field seeking the 2020 Democratic nomination. While more progressive candidates like Sen. Bernie Sanders have long favored Medicare for All, moderates such as former Rep. John Delaney are pushing for a universal health care system, but not Medicare for All.
Two drug companies — Endo and Allergan — are in discussions about a settlement that would allow them to avoid participating in a massive opioids trial set to occur this fall, the Wall Street Journal reports. Endo is working on a $10 million deal, while Allergan is negotiating a $5 million deal that may not completely remove it from the trial.
Why it matters: These 2 companies are relatively minor players in the trial, especially compared to drugmakers like Purdue Pharma and Johnson and Johnson. But this would still be a significant development, especially if other drug companies end up following Endo and Allergan's lead to avoid going to trial.
Physician outsourcing companies and private equity firms are enlisting new groups to lobby Congress as it considers how to protect patients from receiving large bills from out-of-network doctors who are at in-network facilities.
The big picture: Physician groups who most often mail out surprise medical bills are fighting proposals that take a bite out of their incomes to ease patients' financial burdens.
Physician outsourcing companies and private equity firms are enlisting new groups to lobby Congress as it considers how to protect patients from receiving large bills from out-of-network doctors who are at in-network facilities.
The big picture: Physician groups who most often mail out surprise medical bills are fighting proposals that take a bite out of their incomes, but ease patients' financial burdens.
President Trump came into office in 2017 with big ambitions on health care. But he’ll end this term with a lot less to show.
The big picture: If Trump ends up being a one-term president — and that’s not a prediction, just 1 of the 2 possibilities in 2020 — his health care legacy would be pretty modest.
The measles outbreak in the U.S., which is fast approaching the 1-year mark and has broken a 27-year record, has reached 1,203 cases in 30 states since the start of 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday.
Why it matters: The school year is starting and public health officials are concerned that the highly contagious virus will be spread via unvaccinated children and college students, possibly leading to severe complications or death.
